Tech Data's cloud business grew 38% in the last quarter and will likely continue to grow alongside demand for hybrid cloud services, says CEO Richard Hume. Hume adds Tech Data and partners such as Microsoft Azure will continue to use the business-partner channel and distribution to drive growth.

Distributors can engage customers and make the most of their trade show spending by knowing their audience and using data to create interesting experiences, writes Nick Simonette, vice president of sales at Czarnowski. Technology, he adds, can enhance the experience but shouldn't replace human interaction.

Machine learning is a must-have tool for supply chain planning because it can be used to optimize the process from end-to-end, writes Shaun Phillips of QAD. Machine learning, he writes, can reduce human input, improve data accuracy and steer informed decision-making.

Take a strategic approach to improving customer experience by seeking feedback from customers and analyzing data, by empowering employees to make the best decisions for customers and by assigning a senior executive to become a champion for creating customercentricity, writes Keith Johnstone. Ensure all departments share data to create a unified message and use data insights for continuous improvement, he advises.

Business-to-business marketers must connect with prospects on a human level by using storytelling to bring the people at their company to life and creating content that relates to the interests and concerns of target audiences, writes Shama Hyder. Signpost leads to online reviews and so connect them to real customers to demonstrate your brand's transparency, she suggests.

An aggressive growth strategy may anger some stakeholders, so commit only if you're willing to remove obstacles like unadaptable employees, writes Steven L. Blue, Miller Ingenuity's chief executive. Conduct research before presenting major ideas to shareholders and board members to alleviate any concerns, he writes.

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